Conscious Breathing is a good skill to have. Awareness of your breathing helps you control your state of mind, release anxiety, and tune in to your body.
If you don’t breathe, you die!
Pranayama
Pranayama is a Sanskrit word meaning “breath control.” The word is composed from two Sanskrit words: prana meaning life force (noted particularly as the breath), and either yama (to restrain or control the prana, implying a set of breathing techniques where the breath is intentionally altered in order to produce specific results) or the negative form ayāma, meaning to extend or draw out (as in extension of the life force). It is a yogic discipline with origins in ancient India. (Wikipedia)
As you become aware of your breathing, you can “play” with it:
- Colour your breath – imagine your breath is coloured, coming into your body through your nose, down into your lungs, circulating through your body and going out through your mouth
- Count your breath – breathe in for 3 counts, hold for 3 counts, exhale for 3 counts. And vary it for longer or shorter
- See your breath – imagine the rainbow colours of your chakras as you breathe in and upwards through each of them and see the colour go out of the Crown Chakra at the top of your head
- Feel your breath on your lips and nose as you breathe in and out
- Hear your breath – make a sound when breathing out – a sigh, a moan, om or a hum. Or repeat an affirmation (I love myself) or mantra (Om mane padme hum)
- Control your breath – both holding your breath in and holding it when breathing out.
Conscious Breathing – exercise
Moving energy around your body with your breath and awareness is the most important part of Tantra and control. Take this exercise nice and slow, allowing yourself to breathe in and out a few times at each stage. Be careful not to strain. If you feel dizzy or light-headed, just breathe normally for a while.
- Start by becoming aware of your breath, breathing in through your nose and out through your mouth.
- Feel the gentle touch of your breath on your lips, and the tip of your nose, as you breathe in and out.
- Taste the air on your tongue when you exhale through your mouth
- Tune into the feeling of the inside of your nose as you breathe in – the hairs, the space, and your nostrils.
- Let your breath become deeper, and begin to allow yourself to make a sound as you breath out. Vary the exhaled sound, eg ‘aah’, ‘mmm’ or ‘um’, louder or softer, sweeter or growlier!
- Imagine that you are breathing in to your genitals and breathe out towards your fingers and toes.
- As you inhale, feel fresh new energy coming into your body. As you exhale, imagine you are releasing old energy, thoughts and worries.
- Experiment with holding your breath after you breathe in, eg inhale to a count of three, hold for three, exhale for three. As long as you keep it flowing.
